Our beautiful planet has reached a dangerous toxic load of Roundup weedkiller. In 2018 over 5 billion pounds of it was spread worldwide and this will rise each year if we do not stop it. Roundup's makers, Monsanto, have been proven in numerous high profile lawsuits to have hidden the scientific proof that it does not, as they claimed in the 1970s, break down in the soil; it remains active and therefore harmful for at least ten years. Yet still we spray. The fact that is does not break down is evidenced by it being found in urine and breast milk samples, and organic honeys which are nowhere near spraying. It is, at this stage, everywhere. It has been proven to attack beneficial bacteria in all lifeforms, including humans, and is linked to numerous diseases including cancers, celiac disease, autism and gluten intolerance. It is proven to kill honeybees and other pollinators, and has been implicated in the ill health and death of dogs and other pets. The only reason it is still on the shelves is because our business-focused governments keep lobbying to keep it there. We are essentially putting the profits of corporations above the health and future of our planet. This is insanity. The only way we are going to stop the spraying is by pressuring those in the newly formed council to wake up and take action; to remind them their jobs are to serve the community's healthy and well-being, not amass wealth for an elite class. Look around your towns and countryside, and when you see Roundup sprayed speak up. Tell people that there are much healthier and cheaper alternatives. See recipes here: https://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Recipe_for_Vinegar_Weed_Killer

Our local libraries are an amazing resource. Weekends are a great time to go to study, take your children, and browse around as there is lots to do there. When a bank holiday weekend comes around the local library shuts that preceding Saturday. I have gone to my local library on lots of Saturdays during the year planning to have some quiet study space only to realise as its a bank holiday they are shut! I imagine there are many people out there who have had this experience. This wonderful resource should be open particularly at a bank holiday weekend allowing people access to the wonderful facilities.

In order to favor the implementation of the electric car beneficial for health, government assistance is needed, not only in subsidies to purchase but also in infrastructure. With this measure all gas stations should have a fast charging point for electric cars obligatorily

Do you think that it is fair that Deaf community in Ireland can simply thrive in the UK with the provision of Access To Work Scheme funded by the British Government, but not here in Ireland? In the UK, Access to Work Scheme gives a wide range of reasonable accommodation such as sign language interpreters in the workplace, note-takers for meetings, and different supports that Deaf individuals may need. This scheme would not just benefit the Deaf community but all people with disabilities. People with disabilities are diverse including physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities and mental health and with the Access to Work Scheme, people with disabilities in the UK are thriving too with supports they need. This scheme in the UK has proved to be economically beneficial, that for every £1 spent on ATW, £1.48 is recouped by the government, as more people are in employment and not on dependent on the government welfare system. Unfortunately, there is no such scheme like that here in Ireland. Deaf community face severe barriers and discrimination in the workplace here. Deaf people are 2-4 times more likely to be unemployed than their hearing peers. Irish Sign Language (ISL) is the first and/or preferred language of Deaf community, of at least 5,000 Deaf people. As English is a second language for most of these Deaf people, there is significant difficulty in the workplace in terms of access. We regularly experience the effects of restricted access to supports, services and opportunities in the workplace including interviews. In Ireland, those majority of Deaf people, who are currently working have been in low-paid and low-status jobs with little hope of promotion. They tend to stay in their workplace for the long-term, rather than change jobs and achieve their career dream like their hearing peers. Work and paid employment serve to develop a sense of belonging with positive mental health benefits and identification with the wider community. However, Deaf people in Ireland continue to face barriers in employment and experience higher rates of poverty, social exclusion and under-employment. Deaf people get adequate supports in the education system but not in the workplace. The gap needs filling. It's been filled and resolutely proven to work abroad. In Ireland, employers are obliged to provide reasonable accommodation as long as it doesn't impose a disproportionate burden on the employer. Currently, there are some financial supports such as the Job Interview Interpreter Grant which pays for interpreters at interview and induction period. There is the Workplace Equipment/Adaptation Grant which only covers equipment and not interpreting costs. There is also the Wage Subsidy Scheme which pays approximately €10,000 towards salary costs of a disabled person who can prove they have a lower productivity level than their peers. A pool of funding is available however deaf employees cannot access this pool of funding to meet the costs needed for interpreting due to systematic barriers. The Reasonable Accommodation Fund by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection needs a major overhaul to allow talented deaf employees to avail of this. With funding like the Access To Work Scheme, Deaf people can simply thrive here in Ireland where they can contribute and enhance their role through Irish Sign Language interpreting on a daily basis like their hearing peers. This can lead to job promotions and achieving their career dreams. This applies to people with disabilities generally, they can thrive as well with adequate supports. We always tell our children to follow their dreams and that they can achieve anything they put their minds to. Right now in Ireland, all epsecially young Deaf people don’t always have the opportunity to pursue their dream jobs - not because they’re not able to do them - but because they might not be accessible. Let’s change that now. Thank you Joanne Chester email: [email protected] Supported by: Irish Deaf Youth Association Irish Deaf Society National Deaf Women of Ireland

The summer football works. The current set up is not without its issues but with a bit of fine tuning, eg make the break shorter in summer, it will work no question. Give it a chance. With the current proposal to revert back to winter football without giving calendar football a chance it’s sending a strong message to the kids, if something is hard,quit!! regardless of who it affects.

Because it is disrespectful, depressing and completely wrong. It is not the answer and the only people who would ever have to live like this are those who can't currently afford the ridiculous rent levels. Stop pushing people out of Dublin & think about the kind of cities and communities we want - not what developers want.

Regarding a decision on 17th May at the girls National Boxing Championships in the National Stadium where Tullow Amateur Boxing Club's member Chloe Black was not allowed to box on the basis of an AIBA rule which disallows competitors to be involved in any other individual, physical, contact sport. We wish to have this rule abolished. The rule in this particular case was only applied as a result of an alleged complaint which apparently was then withdrawn. This rule was not applied to any other boxer competing on Friday night who were also involved in other individual, physical, contact sport as stated by members of the IABA committee who made this decision not to allow Chloe a 12 year old box in the final. The reason the IABA gave Tullow BC coaches for allowing the others to compete was because they said they only had to act on complaints that were lodged and there were no complaints about any other competitors participating in other physical, contact sports. This unfair and unjust rule which was only circulated on Thursday 16th May affects every child in Ireland involved in boxing. It has left Chloe Black devastated and in a position where she is unable to compete in boxing and was disallowed to compete for a second National title. Boxing is a sport that she loves and holds 1 National title, 2 Leinster titles and 3 Michael Andrews titles and has an unbeaten record. All because Chloe is involved in Carlow Muay Thai club which the IABA class as a physical contact sport. Please sign the petition to fight this rule on behalf of every young boxer in Ireland.

This year, Irish leaders will meet with GB and NI politicians to discuss power-sharing objectives for NI. We want our human rights to be at the top of their list. We ask the Government of Ireland to bring bodily autonomy to the table during their talks with the UK government, and to be a voice for their citizens resident in NI. Women in Northern Ireland are unrepresented. We are Irish citizens, living without the protection of the Irish government, and with no functioning government of our own to petition. We have fewer rights than our peers across the border. Currently, a woman or pregnant person in NI can face life imprisonment for procuring an abortion in their own jurisdiction. The result of this is that pregnant people are compelled to travel at cost for abortions, ensuring that our human rights are accessible on a socially and economically divisive basis. Women and pregnant people in the Republic of Ireland have been given the bodily autonomy we all deserve. Their efforts to obtain this basic human right were actively supported by the many NI women resident in the Republic, and by those resident in the North. We are owed the support of the Irish people and of the Irish government. It is reprehensible that we are still denied the fundamental human rights now ostensibly protected by the two governments who claim us as citizens or subjects. We insist upon our right to make choices about our bodies, and about our reproductive health without threat or fear of recrimination. We demand that our justice system not be commandeered to condemn women exercising their human right to bodily autonomy.

It looks as if all routes leading to City Centre will suffer a great loss in trees/wildlife.. And Shane Ross, Minister for Transport and the National Transport Authority have been extremely vague on what steps they are willing to take to avoid this! Quite simply, this is not good enough: Dublin you have a choice to make, Dublin you have voice to be heard, Dublin this is your city and your home, Dublin don't just let them do what they want this time! Dublin there must be an ecological balance in progress and the future. DUBLIN IF WE GET THIS WRONG THERE IS NO GOING BACK TO FIX IT.

Provide the children of our community with basic facilities to help keep them involved in sports

If a packet is not disposed of correctly, it ends up as litter. A wild animal can mistake this for food, especially if it get into the sea and larger mammals can mistake a crisp packet for a fish (as was the case for a poor seal in 2018, it only took one packet to block his intestine). Current packets are not recyclable and it is a better option to make the packets compostable so that they can be placed into a brown bin for collection.

As construction has yet to begin on the new school building in Millennium Park, the current campus in Craddockstown is running at full capacity, with an estimated 120 incoming 1st year students starting in August 2019 the question is where are the students going to be housed with a student population of 388 currently. Last year we were promised 6 prefabs would be in place for August 2018, they were not onsite and fit for purpose until January 2019. We are now facing the very same situation. We have had enough, its not good enough for our Children to be let down yet again, we have put our trust in the process repeatedly, it is not delivering. We are taking a stand for our Children's right to an education in a place that is not cramped and overcrowded, that they have space and freedom to move freely between classes and break times,a place there is no negative impact on students mental health and well-being. This is a Community Issue, we all need to stand together.